License to Work
Chicago Appleseed is a coalition member of License2Work Illinois, a group working to eliminate inequities in the judicial process by eliminating drivers licenses suspensions as a punishment for debt owed the city, such as court debt, administrative fees and unpaid fines. The License2Work coalition convened by the Chicago Jobs Council and includes over 35 state and local groups. Each comes at the work from their own perspective and the needs of their constituency but all understand the need to reform punitive government policies that perpetuate cycles of poverty.
Our involvement with the coalition stems from the court fines fees working group of Chicago Appleseed and Chicago Council of Lawyers. Our hope is to expand reform to include other court debt, such as child support enforcement penalties, and break the cycle of debt and sanction often associated with court intervention.
License2Work has worked to advance the License2Work Act (SB 1786) through the Illinois legislature this year with some success. The Act passed through the Senate Transportation Committee unanimously and then passed through the full Senate with bipartisan support on March 28.
The Act Eliminates driver’s license suspension as a penalty for most non-driving violations, including: (1) failing to pay parking, compliance, or tollway tickets, fines, or fees; (2) being judged to be a “truant minor”; (3) criminal trespass to a vehicle, and a handful of other non-driving violations. The Act also allows an individual whose license was suspended under any of these provisions to have their license reinstated. These changes focus on how suspending driver’s licenses for non-moving violations fails the in its enforcement goals—agencies cannot collect fines and fees from people unable to work because they have no reliable transportation to jobs without the ability to drive. There’s no public safety purpose to suspending driver’s license of people without moving violations, while enforcing driving restrictions against these drivers wastes the limited resources of law enforcement and the courts without meaningful return.
Coalition members are also engaged with Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia’s Chicago Fines, Fees & Access Collaborative to review fines, fees and collection practices in Chicago. That group is examining how city debt is impacting City residents and City agencies and looking at whether payment options are adequate and accessible to everyone. Coalition members are striving to ensure that the Clerk’s Collaborative commit to open data and make sure that enforcement is equitable and not focused on poor neighborhoods. Chicago Appleseed is pleased to see the City’s commitment to improving the system.
At Chicago Appleseed, we are particularly focused on effective courts and good government. Chicago must not fund itself and our courts on the backs of the poorest people they serve. We will work to see the License2Work Act become law and commit to reforming policies, procedures and statues for the imposition of fines, fees and costs across all parts of the judicial system.